Heritage Skills Academy
The academic base preserving skills to keep our industry alive
In the heart of Bicester Heritage sits building 90. It’s a building containing the future of our hobby and the £5.5bn industry surrounding it, too. Heritage Skills Academy is the academic base for Heritage Engineering Technician Apprenticeships and, when PC popped in, was a hive of activity with eleven apprentices in for a week of teaching away from their employers. HSA finds Apprentices employment from day one with a wide range of restoration specialists, from a small family firm restoring
Minis through to P & A Wood, leading Rolls Royce and Bentley specialists. With the support of the Federation of Historic British Vehicle Clubs, the Galashan Foundation and the Starter Motor
Charity, the Bicester Heritage base has become a fantastic training facility dedicated to Heritage Engineering mechanical apprenticeships and continues to grow with plans in place to deliver both coachbuilding and trim apprenticeships from 2019.
Operations Director Janice Pitchforth told PC:
‘We’ve just taken on an additional teaching space here at Bicester, building 103, from which we will be able to teach the new courses and are currently in the process of building up cohort six, bringing the total number of apprentices to date up to 72.’
‘Students are at our base for nine weeks of each academic year on block release from their employers, meaning that 20 per cent of their training is at the Academy and its workshops. There’s no upper age limit for apprentices and we currently have students aged from 16 to 50 years-old on the course.’
One of Janice’s key roles is recruitment. She tells us: ‘Applications come in via our website and applicants are then asked to send in a CV and written assessment.
We’re looking for real passion as well as a basic mechanical aptitude.’ Before they are enrolled on the programme, applicants are matched with businesses in which they will be employed. ‘We’ve got a vast range of companies involved’ says Janice. ‘From P&A Wood to the father and son team at Little Garage Classics.’ Vehicles from veteran to more modern classics are covered and the HSA team are always looking for new businesses who might be able to take on an apprentice. If you are interested in getting involved as an applicant or employer, get in touch via the website.